You already know that when we are talking about people or things, we do not have to keep repeating the names or people or items. Instead, we can replace full nouns with pronouns:

Wir sehen das Buch.

We see the book.

Wir sehen es.

We see it.

Wir helfen dem Kind.

We're helping the child.

Wir helfen ihm.

We're helping him.

In each of these cases, pronouns can replace nouns representing either people or things. However, objects of prepositions work differently. When the noun being replaced refers to a person, then a pronoun can be used. In this case the substitution will mean him, her, them, etc.

Wir sprechen mit dem Mann.

We're talking to the man.

Wir sprechen mit ihm.

We're talking to him.

However, when objects following prepositions refer to inanimate objects or things, and we want to say 'with it', 'for it', 'to it', etc., we cannot simply replace the full noun with a pronoun. Instead, German replaces the noun with da-, which it attaches to the front of the preposition.

Ich verstehe nichts von diesem Thema.

I understand nothing about this topic.

Ich verstehe nichts davon(NOT 'von ihm').

I understand nothing about it.

Haben Sie etwas gegen diesen Film?

Do you have something against this film?

Haben Sie etwas dagegen?

Do you have something against it?

Wir haben uns für das rote Auto entschieden.

We have decided on the red car.

Wir haben uns dafür entschieden.

We have decided on it.

When the preposition begins with a vowel, an -r- is added to aid pronunciation, thus making the compound dar + preposition.

Wir sprechen über das Buch.

We're talking about the book.

Wir sprechen darüber.

We're talking about it.

Wir freuen uns auf das Wochenende.

We are looking forward to the weekend.

Wir freuen uns darauf.

We are looking forward to it.

Üben wir!

A.Replace the underlined prepositional phrase with a da-compound. The rest of the sentence will remain the same (including word order).

1.

Ich danke ihm für das Geschenk.

Ich danke ihm dafür.

2.

Wir fangen mit unserer Arbeit an.

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3.

Sabine und Hans ärgern sich über das Wetter.

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4.

Du bereitest dich auf die Prüfung vor.

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5.

Diana erinnert sich an meinen Geburtstag.

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6.

Lars hat Angst vor Feuer.

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B.The following sentences mix people and things. Sometimes you will need a da-compound (for things), sometimes just a pronoun (for people). For the pronouns, be sure to check the case of the preposition! After the first few, I will also stop underlining the prepositional phrase for you.

1.

Ich denke an Karl.

Ich denke an ihn.

2.

Wir fragen nach dem Preis.

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3.

Sandra hat sich von ihrem Freund getrennt.

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4.

Rainer versteht nichts von Computern.

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5.

Ich habe mich für Wisconsin entschieden.

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6.

Wir sprechen über unsere Tante.

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7.

Silke hat sich in Heinz verliebt.

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8.

Er freut sich auf seine Reise.

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9.

Katja dankt Georg für seine Hilfe.

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10.

Die Studenten freuen sich über den Lehrer.

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Wo-Compounds

Wo-compounds are used in questions when asking about the object of the preposition ('for what', 'about what', etc.). Wo does not mean 'where' in these compounds; instead, in English we use 'what' in these questions. Wo-compounds follow the same rules as da-compounds, in particular the difference between people and things. When the object of the preposition is a thing, we must use a wo-compound when asking a question about it. For example:

Womit rasierst du dich?

What do you shave with?

Ich rasiere mich mit dem Rasierapparat.

I shave with an electric razor.

Worüber sprichst du?

What are you talking about?

Ich spreche über das Buch.

I'm talking about the book.

Worauf freust du dich?

What are you looking forward to?

Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.

I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Note that the German wo-compound corresponds to two English words, 'what' at the beginning of the sentence and the preposition 'with/about/to' at the end. In English, you can also put both 'about' and 'what' at the beginning ('About what are you talking?'), although this is not very common in everyday speech.

Also note the -r- added when the preposition begins with a vowel.

Like the da-compounds explained above, German differentiates between people and things when using wo-compounds. When asking about a person, German uses forms of the who-word, wer: these are wen (accusative) and wem (dative).

Auf wen wartest du?

Who are you waiting for?

Ich warte auf Karl.

I'm waiting for Karl.

Mit wem fährst du nach Chicago?

Who are you going to Chicago with?

Ich fahre mit meinem Freund.

I'm going with my friend.

Again, English speakers usually put the preposition at the end of the sentence, but other than word order, German and English are essentially the same here. Remember that when the object is a person, you must use wen/wem, and this means you need to know whether the preposition takes the accusative or dative case! When the object is a thing, use a wo-compound.

Üben wir!

A.Write a question asking for the underlined information (things).

1.

Ich habe Angst vor Prüfungen.

Wovor hast du Angst?

2.

Er bittet um ein bisschen Zeit.

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3.

Sabine hofft auf eine gute Note.

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4.

Werner hat sich für ein Motorrad entschieden.

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5.

Das Buch handelt von der Nazizeit.

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6.

Ich ärgere mich über meine Note in Mathe.

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B.Write a question asking for the underlined information (people). Check the case of the preposition!